Assembling the Body // Blanca Flight Suit Sewalong

I think this has to be the most exciting part of the sewalong! The body of your Blanca Flight Suit is finally going to come together as we sew the inseam and side seams. We’ll also walk you through a few of the special finishing details, like assembling the belt and adding the button tabs at the legs.

SEWING THE INSEAM

Right sides together, match the front and back legs along the inseam. Baste the legs together at the crotch seam to confirm the seam and topstitching lines match up. Align the knee notches and hems. Pin and sew the length of the inseam at 5/8″ (16mm).

Finish the seam with a serged or zig zag stitch and press the seam towards the front. Sew a line of topstitching 1/4″ (6mm) from the seam along the entire length of the leg to secure.

OPTIONAL BUTTON TABS (VIEW A)

If you’re sewing View A and would like the option to taper the long legs, assemble the button tabs and baste them in place before sewing the side seams. Cut four fabric pieces from the button tab pattern piece (T).

Right sides together, sew each button tab by stitching 3/8″ (10mm) around the curved edge, leaving the short straight side open. Press a small square of interfacing at the end of the button tab to stabilize the area where the buttonhole will be sewn. Trim and grade the seams and turn the button tabs right side out. Press well and topstitch 1/8″ (3mm) around the curved edge. sew a buttonhole at the end of each tab. See our post on sewing lovely buttonholes if you need help with this step.

There is a circle match point on the back leg pattern piece (D) near the hem on the side seam. Match the button tab to this marking and baste in place within the seam allowance. You may want to personalize where exactly these button tabs are, but our recommended location is about 1.25″ (32mm) above the finished hem. (You’ll notice I haven’t sewn a buttonhole on this tab yet! I sewed this sample for one of our models, but we still needed to do a final fitting and hadn’t decided on what buttons to use yet. I didn’t want to skip this step for the sewalong, so make sure you sew the buttonhole before attaching the button tabs to the legs, it will be much easier!)

SEWING THE SIDE SEAMS

Right sides together, pin the front and back together along each side seam. The waist seam of the front will line up with the notch on the back waistband; it should be centered evenly on the waistband. At this point, we suggest basting the seam at 5/8″ and trying on your suit to see how you like the fit. If you would like a tighter fit, sew the side seams with a wider seam allowance. If you’re sewing the button tabs in, experiment with pulling them across the back of the leg until you get the desired smugness; you may find you need a shorter tab, so you can readjust where it’s sewn in the side seam.

Once you’re happy with the fit, sew the final seams and finish with a serged or zig zag stitch. Press the seams towards the back. The waist seam may be a bit bulky, especially if you used a thick fabric. If you’re having trouble pressing this area, give it a friendly tap with your hammer.

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Hi! I'm Heather Lou, a pattern designer and sewing educator for the modern maker. At Closet Case Patterns, we transform your imagination into step-by-step implementation that helps you create a wardrobe you love - not one you're limited to buying off the rack.

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